With Every Part of Me
by redeemthefallen
Summary: "But the fact that I love you anyway is what makes me hate you the most."


No one could tell Alexis Hargreaves that he didn't love his son. He had his own uncouth and vaguely sadistic way of showing it, but the only thing Alexis loved more than his son in the entire world was his sister. _Augusta_ _._ The name still made his heart hurt, filling his thoughts with the mental pictures of what she was like before and after the tall, dark haired millionaire Hargreaves had ruined her life.

Before Cain had been born, the man was _unsure_ of what to make of the situation. He loved his sister deeply and didn't care what his father thought of the fact that she was carrying his son. At the time, his heart had swelled with what he assumed was happiness at the thought of a tangible symbol of their love. But as he saw what a toll carrying their child was taking on his sister, Alexis had begun to have different thoughts. She only got worse after the boy was born.

As Cain grew, Augusta deteriorated further. She was mad. And so Alexis took the child into his home and, though it broke his heart to do so, sent Augusta off to the Asylum. He knew he had to do something to atone his sins. And so he began the nightly ritual of whipping his son. Seven times for Alexis's lust for his sister, seven times for their incestuous bond, and seven times more for Cain's cursed birth. That was why he had given this child his name, after all. The cursed boy who ruined his mother and took away every ounce of happiness from his father.

When Alexis's own father passed away, he inherited the fortune that made their family great. Their title had lost it's meaning back in the the early 1900s, but Alexis already had enough power to keep him happy. _When_ their family had seen what would eventually happen to England's aristocracy, they were wise about it. They had bought up businesses left and right, rising to the far more substantial wealth they had now with them. Alexis used a small portion of money to homeschool his only legitimate son, keeping him isolated otherwise.

But when Augusta died, the millionaire momentarily lost his mind to grief. He couldn't bare to see his son any longer. By then, the boy was twelve, easily old enough to be sent away. And that was exactly what Alexis did. He loved his son.

Cain was off to boarding school in the blink of an eye, quite literally thrust into the deep end of social interaction when before he had only had a toe in the water. But Cain thrived there, much to the chagrin of his father. The man felt as though he was losing everything, his sister, his son. They were all that mattered to him. But Alexis didn't reveal this. No, of course not. He hid behind his power and his money and refused to ever write Cain back when he received his letters. And Alexis continued to do this...until Cain returned home at the age of seventeen.

The cold hearted millionaire could hear the front door slam shut from his office three floors up. He stood slowly, in no rush as he made his way to meet his son. Alexis didn't have to go far before he was face to face with his son. A slow smirk spread on his face as he realized just how perfectly both his sister's and his own features had been preserved in Cain's pale face that was currently screwed up in fury.

The boy was breathing heavily, more likely from his anger than the physical exertion of climbing all those stairs. His eyes ripped their way across his father's face, feeling his anger grow stronger at the look on his face.

"Hello, Cain-" The tall man began, vaguely surprised when his son cut him off.

"No. It's my turn to talk." Taking a moment to regain control of himself, he balled his fists quietly at his side. "All my life, you've treated me like trash. You used to never look me in the eye. You never gave me a kind word. You /hated/ me." He spat out, quite literally shaking by then. "For the longest time, I convinced myself that I hated you. I /do/ hate you."

Alexis rolled his eyes at his son's outburst, his smirk still in place as he crossed his arms. "I understand, but-"

"No! Shut up!" Cain shoved him, knowing he was taking a large step across the line that had always been drawn between them. "Let me finish! You're cruel and harsh and don't care for anyone but yourself. I know that you hate me, and I know that you hated Aunt Augusta! She used to tell me that I was the only one who loved her because you would never visit! I've spend the last five years of my life without a single word from you, and I hate you for it!" The boy stopped, dragging in a breath after this second outburst. "I hate you with every part of me. But the fact that I love you anyway is what makes me hate you the most." He took a step back from his father, done now. "And this is goodbye." Alexis doesn't speak as he watched him descend the stairs once more.

That night, the millionaire knew that the tea he drank was poisoned. But he didn't care. He'd lost his sister. He'd lost his son. And he knew that the only way Cain would be happy is when his father was dead. So, moments after the drink was finished, the man smiled as he felt his airways close. And as he died, he was satisfied. After all, no one could tell Alexis Hargreaves that he didn't love his son.


End file.
